Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
545. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on plans for a school (details supplied) to be developed into a 1,000 pupil school; when this will be delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9215/26]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This NDP Sectoral Plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project rollout.
Of the total €7.55 billion investment it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the Large Scale, Additional Accommodation, Modular, and Annual September Accommodation Needs programmes. Over the course of 2026 and 2027 there will be construction work at circa 10% of the school estates. These projects will, when completed, provide circa 57,000 additional and modernised school spaces with a strong SEN focus in all projects.
My department will continue to build on the progress made over the recent years with the continued rollout of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, I have also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027.
Between 2020 and 2025, the Department of Education has provided €1794.95 million in capital funding for Dublin schools. There are currently 64 school projects in Dublin under construction.
I can confirm to the Deputy that the school's application is being considered by my officials and they have been in contact with the school authorities in relation to this application. My officials remain available to work with the school authorities throughout this process. I can assure the Deputy that the application will be progressed as soon as possible and an official decision will issue to the school authorities directly.
